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The four German power transmission system operators (TSOs), namely Amprion, TenneT, 50Hertz and TransnetBW, have submitted the second version of the future domestic power grid development strategy (Netzentwicklungsplan or NEP 2030) to the energy regulator Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) for examination.

The draft unveils several scenarios but all of them include the 65% renewable target for gross electricity consumption by 2030 set out by the Germany’s government coalition in 2018. The 5 scenarios also plan conventional power generation capacity to be reduced by 5-6 GW by 2030 compared to the previous NEP 2030 (2017) and the scenario B 2025 plans coal-fired power capacity to halve compared to 2017. All scenarios revise upward renewable capacity (+40-50 GW) compared with NEP 2030 (2017), and 17 to 20 GW of offshore wind capacity are expected by 2030, which is much more than the 15 GW target set out in the Renewables Act (EEG).

The four TSOs estimate that the additional capacities required to reach this target will boost the necessary investments in power transmission lines: onshore lines would require €52bn in investment (€20bn more than previously thought), while an additional €18bn to €27bn would be needed to link up offshore wind parks with the mainland power grid. Some of the additional costs will come from digitalising power transmission systems and running more lines underground.

US-based power company Entergy Corporation has agreed to divest the Indian Point Energy Center to a subsidiary of Holtec International following the shut-down of the site’s last nuclear reactor.

Turkmenistan has resumed natural gas exports to Russia after a 3-year suspension due to a price dispute and economic crisis in Russia. Gas will be imported by the Russian state-held gas company Gazprom, which has always considered Turkmenistan as a key factor in the Southern Gas Corridor to transport Caspian region gas to Europe via Turkey. …

Slovakia power group Slovenské Elektrárne (SE) has completed the hot testing phase of the 440 MW Mochovce-3 nuclear power plant and the unit could be ready for fuel loading in summer 2019. Commissioning was expected in late 2019, but could be delayed to 2020, as the licensing process could take up to 8 months between technical readiness for fuel loading to the actual date of fuel loading. …

Eolien Maritime France (EMF), a joint venture between EDF Renewables and Canadian energy infrastructure company Enbridge, has turned to the turbine supplier Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy to provide turbines for two of its three offshore wind projects in France, i.e. 498 MW Fécamp, 480 MW Saint-Nazaire (480 MW) and 450 MW Courseulles-sur-Mer offshore wind projects.

Norwegian energy company Equinor (formerly Statoil) and German energy group E.ON have commissioned the 385 MW Arkona offshore wind project, located northeast of the island of Rügen in the German Baltic Sea. The €1.2bn wind project, developed by the two partners (50% each), includes 60 turbines, which were provided by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) and installed in just three mont…

The Iraqi government has outlined plans to build a new 150,000 bbl/d oil refinery in the northern city of Kirkuk, which will process the expected rising crude oil production in the region. Indeed, Kirkuk is currently estimated to hold around 9 Gboe of recoverable oil reserves. …